The abuse and assault case of a missing 7-year-old boy has raised questions about why no one knew the boy had been missing for months.

The abuse and assault case of a missing 7-year-old boy has raised questions about why no one knew the boy had been missing for months.

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Updated: 5:31 PM CST Dec 1, 2015

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WEBVTT INVESTIGATES. MICHEAL: KANSAS HAS VERY SIMPLE HOME SCHOOL REQUIREMENTS AND REGULATIONS. MISSOURI HAS PRACTICALLY NONE. AND THE AJ CASE IS THE SECOND -- IN TOPEKA ANOTHER CHILD MAY HAVE BEEN ABUSED. PARENTS HOME SCHOOL THEIR CHILDREN FOR MANY REASONS, AND MANY DO IT QUITE WELL. BUT A TOPEKA COUPLE, JONATHAN AND ALLISON SCHUMM, ARE ACCUSED OF CHILD ABUSE. THEY'RE IN THE HEADLINES PARTLY BECAUSE HE'S ON THE TOPEKA CITY COUNCIL. THEY OPERATED A HOME SCHOOL OPERATION. THE STATE OF KANSAS SAYS HOME SCHOOLS MUST REGISTER WITH THE STATE, AND OVER THE YEARS MORE THAN 30,000 HAVE DONE SO. BUT THERE'S NO OTHER KANSAS REGULATION. YOU KNOW, IT'S REALLY HARD TO KNOW, BECAUSE IN MISSOURI THEY ARE NOT REQUIRED TO REGISTER. THERE ARE THOUSANDS. MICHEAL: AS THERE ARE IN KANSAS, PEOPLE LIKE ELIZABETH AND RANDY MAINS AND THEIR FOUR CHILDREN, SECOND GENERATION HOME SCHOOLERS. YES, I WAS HOME SCHOOLED IN SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA. MICHEAL: SHE THINKS IT HELPS KEEP THEIR FAMILY CLOSE. TODAY, THE KIDS WERE STUDYING INTO THE EARLY AFTERNOON. THE MAINS ARE PART OF A METRO HOME SCHOOLING NETWORK THAT IS AVAILABLE FOR SUPPORT, BUT IT'S CLEAR THE PARENTS SET THE RULES AND THE STUDIES. EVEN WITH VERY LITTLE REGULATION, THE HOME SCHOOLING COMMUNITY BELIEVES A FAMILY IN TROUBLE IS ALREADY KNOWN TO CHILD WELFARE AGENCIES. IN ALMOST EVERY SITUATION WHERE TRAGICALLY A CHILD HAS BEEN ABUSED OR MURDERED, THOSE FAMILIES HAVE BEEN WELL-KNOWN AND THERE HAVE BEEN MULTIPLE VISITS TO THE FAMILIES. MICHEAL: ALMOST ALL HOME SCHOOLING FAMILIES PREFER A LIGHT REGULATORY TOUCH. IT'S ONE OF THE REASONS MANY GOT INTO HOME SCHOOLING IN THE FIRST

Home schools face few regulations in Kansas, Missouri

The abuse and assault case of a missing 7-year-old boy has raised questions about why no one knew the boy had been missing for months.